Viral disease back in Assam

A STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, June 20: Four fresh cases of Japanese encephalitis were reported today from Kamrup (metro) district.

“We have received information about four suspected cases of Japanese encephalitis in Kamrup (metro). One of the patients was undergoing treatment at a private nursing home and has been discharged. We received information about the other three cases from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, where blood samples of patients suspected to be suffering from the disease were sent for confirmatory tests,” said Ulupi Phukan Baruah, district immunisation officer of Kamrup (metro) health service.

The new cases are a 27-year-old man from Supermarket, a 50-year-old woman from Noonmati, a 17-year-old girl from Hengerabari and another patient from Chandrapur.

The details of the patient from Chandrapur are unavailable.

No deaths have been reported so far and no cases of acute encephalitis syndrome have come in from the district yet.

Although health officials confirmed three patients are currently undergoing treatment, they could not confirm whether they are in a stable condition.

The health department had recently conducted a nine-day vaccination campaign against Japanese encephalitis in Demoria and Chandrapur development blocks of the district.

People in the age group 15-70 years were vaccinated. Seventy per cent of the total targeted population of 1,05,726 people were administered the vaccine during the programme.

However, residents residing in Guwahati were not vaccinated and hence, are prone to the vector-borne disease.

With fresh cases coming to light, the department has begun fogging.

“We are currently carrying out fogging in Birubari. We will also carry out fogging in the localities where confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis have been reported,” said N. Choudhury, Kamrup district malaria officer.

After the vaccination of children upto 14 years in different districts during the past few years, this year the health department has taken the initiative to vaccinate adults.

Similar vaccination campaigns have been carried out in Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji and North Lakhimpur districts so far.

“Incidence of Japanese encephalitis has gone down in places where adults were vaccinated. Hence, we have not received any cases of Japanese encephalitis and acute encephalitis syndrome so far this year,” said a senior doctor of Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh.